Unlikely Battles
by Mirhithwen
Summary: When the planet Vegetasei was destroyed, a chosen one was foretold by a mad prophet. Today, the King of Vegetasei, Vegeta, resides on Earth and has lived a seemingly normal life. His daughter, Bra, has lived that life as well. But... the dreams start... a
1. Breakfast with the Brief Family

When Bra awoke, she found the sun shining on her face. Not really willing to get out of bed, she moaned, turning over and placing her pillow over her head. But… she was half-awake now, meaning she'd never get back to sleep now. Moaning and stretching one more time Bra removed the pillow from her head and took a deep breath, smelling the pancakes downstairs. She smiled.  
  
Mama.  
  
So, she sat up in her bed, stretching her arms over her head and yawning at the same time. Finally, after a few moments, Bra stepped onto the floor, wobbled around a little, and padded down the stairs to see if her Papa had left her anything to eat. She expected little. As she reached the last step, her papa looked up from his meal and half-smirked at his daughter. "Good morning, Useless the Young. So you decided to grace us with your presence, did you?"  
  
Bra returned her father's half smirk, "Yes, I did. Isn't it grand?" Bulma, her mother and best friend, laughed, "She's inherited some of your finer traits hasn't she, Vegeta?" Vegeta narrowed his eyes at his wife and just shut up. Bra smiled. She'd defeated her father… for once.  
  
With that, Bra walked over to the stove and helped herself to a stack of pancakes and two fried eggs. Eggs? Why eggs? She hated eggs.   
  
Because you're sparring with Juuhachi-gou today and you need stamina.   
  
Bra, in her surprise at the voice in her head, nearly dropped her plate. Vegeta glanced up from his food, shrugged, and went right on eating. Bulma, on the other hand, frowned at her teenage daughter. "Is there something wrong, Bra?" Bra stood there a moment and finally shook her head. "No, there's nothing wrong. I just felt dizzy all of a sudden."   
  
"Too much sleep, that's why you feel dizzy. Maybe if you woke up at a decent time, you wouldn't feel like that," Vegeta snickered. Bra threw her father the 'I'm-not-amused-and-you-know-it' look and sat down at the table. She was determined to ignore the fact that she had a voice in her head until she could find time to analyze how it got there.  
  
In the meantime, Bra had to focus. If she were to survive up against Juuhachi-gou's sparring techniques she was going to have to eat first and think later. Yet, as soon as she began cutting up her pancakes and chowing down on her eggs, Son-Goku burst through the door with Pan at his side and Chi-Chi on his arm. "Hey 'Geta! Morning Bra! Hiya Bulma!" Bra smiled as Goku planted himself right next to Vegeta and grinned stupidly at Chi-Chi as she went over to give Bulma a hug. Bra giggled out loud (she thought Goku's grin was hilarious).   
  
But instead of Vegeta getting mad at Kakarotto (that was the name he preferred to call Goku by… personally, Bra preferred Son-Goku), he ignored him and kept on eating. Taking her father's example, Bra smiled and went back to eating. After all, her spar with Juuhachi-gou was NOT going to be easy and she did need to eat, company or no company.  
  
"Hello all! So why are you all here this morning? And…" Bulma looked behind them, searching for Videl and Gohan, "where are Videl and Gohan?"   
  
Chi-Chi smiled, "We just wanted to visit. Videl and Gohan went out on a romantic getaway thing and Goten and Trunks are out and about, probably off sparring somewhere and well, we were bored. It gets too quiet when the boys aren't there. So, naturally, Goku decided we were going to take a trip over to his good friend Vegeta's and hang out. Hope we're not intruding."   
  
Bulma flicked her wrist at Chi-Chi and smiled, "Oh Kami no. Vegeta and Bra are just finishing up breakfast, aren't you?" Vegeta looked up from his food and glared, "Baka woman. I'll be finished when I'm finished and not before." Almost by reflex, Bulma whirled around and retorted, not caring if there was company or not.   
  
"Chikusho!"  
  
Vegeta just smiled and went back to his food, munching away idly. Goku nervously swallowed and smiled, "Ehee. Perhaps we did come at a bad time, 'Geta."   
  
"Kakarotto, every time you come around is a bad time as far as I'm concerned."  
  
Bra half smiled as she began to clear her dishes from the table and wave over her friend, Pan. "So what's the plan for today, Bra? I heard that you were sparring with Juuhachi-gou. You're going to get hurt, you know." Bra nodded and considered this for a moment, "Yes Pan, I know I'm going to get hurt. I just hope that Juu will be kind enough not to kill me."  
  
"Don't expect too much from that Jinzouningyou," came the nagging voice of Vegeta.   
  
Does he ever shut up?  
  
Not likely. You know that; he's your father.   
  
And then came that damned voice again. It sounded like a mix of Vegeta, Pan, Bulma, and her brother; Trunks. Bra growled at the voice, unfortunately she forgot that no one else could hear that little voice except her, which made her look like an idiot for growling out loud. Pan raised an eyebrow to her friend, "Uhhh… what was that for?"   
  
"Ehee… sorry. Spontaneous growling runs in the family."  
  
Vegeta growled.  
  
"See?"  
  
Pan giggled, "Ok, that's clarified. When are you sparring with Juu?"  
Bra scratched her head thoughtfully, tousling her blue hair in the process, "Pretty quick. She said as soon as I was done breakfast I was to go to her house and find her. But you know what's been bugging me, Pan?"  
  
Pan shook her head, "Nope, what's been bugging you?"  
  
"I haven't seen Kruillen for the longest time!"  
  
Pan nodded and frowned, "Yeah, I've noticed that too. I wonder where he is… I mean, Marron hasn't said anything to you has she?"  
  
The blue haired girl shook her head, "Nope. She hasn't said anything to me. I wonder though. Maybe I'll ask Juu after we spar; that way I'll have a direct source. In the meantime, I've gotta roll! Pan, call me later and we'll go shopping or something ok? Bai!"  
  
Bra ran upstairs, leaving a perplexed Pan in the kitchen to deal with the rest of the company.  



	2. Trunks' Nomination

"You're good, Bra-san but not good enough. You have the technique but you lack the speed," said a sweating yet surprisingly calm Juuhachi-gou. Bra, on the other hand, was panting in short gasps and cradling her wounded left arm. "Thanks, I guess."  
  
Juu smiled at the younger version of Bulma as she nearly licked her wounds in an almost Saiyan way.  
  
She takes after her mom: smart, witty, hot-tempered, and strong-willed. Too bad she inherited some of her father's more "charming" traits.  
  
"So," said Juu, attempting to break the silence. "Do want another round or are you too beat up?"  
  
"I took a beating worse than I've ever taken, Juu-san, I don't think I can do it twice consecutively. I think I need to go home, take a long bath, and sleep for three days straight. Then we'll see if I'm ready again. In the meantime, I'm going to get Papa to teach me some more stuff about this ki fighting. I'm not quite as good as I thought I was. And going up against a Jinzouningen wasn't exactly the smartest thing I could have done, ne?"   
  
Juu laughed and placed a thoughtful hand on her sparring partner's shoulder, "Hai. I'll go easier next time. I forget that you're only a demi-saiyan and not a full-saiyan like your father or Goku. I hope I haven't injured you beyond repair… and if it's any consolation, I'm in a fair amount of pain myself right about now. Heh, now I can go home to Marron and explain that one her friends basically kicked my ass and if it weren't because I was a Jinzouningen, I would be bleeding and broken on the floor…" Bra half-smirked and Juu shuddered as she saw Vegeta's sly look creep up on the girl's face. "I'll see you later, Juu-san. Arigatou and I shall be prepared better next time we spar, ne?"  
  
Juu waved at the departing teenager, "Hai. Bai, Bra-san!"  
  
*******  
  
Bra arrived home achy but relatively alive. "Papa? Mama?"  
  
No response.  
  
They've run off like Trunks did one year. Remember that agony? Remember it?  
  
SHUT UP! Bra's inner self cried aloud. I'm only 15 years old they would never leave me here all-alone with nothing or no one. They love me, for Kami-sakes and would never EVER leave me.   
  
Sure. You wait, little one.   
  
I will send you to hell, you Chikusho!   
  
Bring it!  
  
"Bra?" She jumped at her brother's soft voice as it came prodding through her mind. Whirling around, Bra faced her brother, Trunks, and smiled. "What are you doing here, Trunks-kun? Looking to kick Papa's ass again in a sparring match?" Trunks sneered at his younger sister. "Brat! Don't talk to me that way. I'm you're older brother, thus, I have a higher authority."  
  
Bra giggled in spite of herself; her brother was funny when he got all 'I'm-the-big-brother-and-I-can-tell-you-what-to-do-so-nyah!' on her. Trunks just narrowed his eyes and shook his head. "Oh Bra. You brat, you. Where's otou-san?"   
  
Bra shook her head and shrugged, "I have no clue. I was half-expecting him to be yelling at Mama, like he always does. Pan still hasn't gotten used to this household. So, how've you been?"   
  
Trunks smiled, "Better than I was when I lived here. I'll put it as that, sister. I've got a good job at Capsule Corps and I'm slowing moving up the corporate ladder. Got me a date with a girl there… so yeah, life's good for me Bra. I heard that you were sparring with Juu today and by the looks of things, you didn't do all that well."  
  
Bra glowered at her brother, "Just because you're mister high and mighty demi-saiyan and I'm just this little teenage demi-saiyan that knows absolutely nothing about my powers doesn't mean that you can tease me. It was my first sparring with Jinzouningen, for Kami-sakes." With that, Bra breezed past her brother and headed upstairs to her bedroom to change from her battered and torn sparring clothes. Running a hand through her soft blue hair, Bra looked into the mirror on her vanity. Surprisingly enough, her face wasn't as scratched or bruised as she thought it would be. In fact, it was still as pretty as it was this morning. Wisps of her blue hair were strewn lackadaisically around her forehead and stuck to her cheek, permeated in her sweat. However, her left arm had seen better days. The open wound, now bandaged thanks to Chi-Chi, was still seeping blood but it wasn't oozing like it had been earlier on. Bra had stopped off at Chi-Chi's and she had graciously bandaged up her arm before Bra had gone home. Chi-Chi's words were, "Bra, you really have to be more careful. You're going to get really hurt one day." Perhaps Chi-Chi was right. Perhaps she should just forget about this sparring and Saiyan stuff and just focus on being a teenager. Ah, being a teenager. Bra remembered when she was younger and Trunks was a teenager. Trunks' adolescence experience had looked so easy to her back then. Trunks was relatively smart, incredible good looking, and he attracted more girls than he knew what to do with. Bra could never understand why her older brother would come home and complain about being a teenager. That was, until Bra had experienced adolescence on her own. And man was she wrong about it being a breeze.  
  
Bra looked around her room. It was small but efficiently arranged. In the middle of it was her bed, complete with homemade pillows and quilt care of Chi-Chi. Bra smiled to herself; she remembered when she'd begged Chi-Chi to help her makeover her room. And so, when Bra was thirteen, the transformation of the little girl's room into a dream room began. However unkempt it became, it was always wonderful to lounge in.  
  
Quit reminiscing. Go find your dad and ask him to train you, baka.  
  
Again came that annoying voice. And again Bra growled as it taunted her.   
  
I'll find Papa after my bath, sankyuu. And for Kami-sakes, SHUT UP!  
  
The voice immediately withdrew its taunting tone and became silent for the time being. "Good," Bra said, reaching for the brush on her vanity. Almost as soon as she set the brush to work on her long strands of hair, she heard Vegeta yell, "TRUNKS!!" This made Bra drop her brush and sprint as fast as her legs could take her down the stairs and outside to find her father standing over a semi-cowering Trunks.  
  
"What in the hell?" Bra said, surveying the situation. Vegeta growled a low, throaty growl before forcing Trunks to his feet by his purple hair.   
  
"Did you know about this, Bra?" Vegeta snapped.  
  
Bra raised a suspicious eyebrow, "Know about what?"  
  
Once again Vegeta growled, making the short hairs on the back of her neck stand on end.  
  
"About this!" Vegeta thrust a magazine at her and Bra immediately stifled a giggle. Her brother was named 'Sexiest Man Alive' by New Hope City's celebrity magazine for girls, 'Bishounen'. Before long, Bra was rolling on the grass laughing as loudly as her larynx and vocal cords could permit.  
  
"Trunks… hehehe… you're a…. hehe… sexy man… ehee!"  
  
Bra found this all rather amusing but when Vegeta's death glare came into play, she immediately straightened up and stopped laughing. However silent she was, her mind was still rolling around and giggling about Trunks' nomination.  
  
"That wasn't funny, Bra." Vegeta said calmly.  
  
Bra placed her hands on her hips and stared defiantly at her father. "Why is this such a bad thing, Papa?"  
  
"I'll have no son of mine becoming a full blown celebrity. We Briefs keep a low key about everything we do on this world. I don't need my first born son going soft and… glamorous." Vegeta cringed inwardly at the word. Glamorous is not what brief men are, nor will ever be.   
  
"Look otou-san, I didn't ask to be put into that magazine. They nominated me. I didn't nominate myself, y'know," piped up Trunks. Bra cringed as Trunks challenged his father; that wasn't the wisest thing to do, especially when Vegeta was as high strung as he was lately. But her father had always been high strung, although not quite as extreme as he'd been lately. So, as father like daughter, Vegeta gave a final growl and stalked away, cursing under his breath as he left.   
  
Bra immediately took her chances and started laughing at the situation and Trunks. Shaking her head she placed a thoughtful hand on her brother's shoulder and grinned, "Oh Trunks. You're so sexy. Hehe… how does it feel to be the sexiest man alive? Now you're going to have more girls following you!"  
  
Trunks groaned, "I can't get rid of the ones I already have following me. How am I going to have any privacy in my life now? I didn't ask for this, Bra…" Seeing her brother's distress, Bra squeezed Trunks' shoulder lovingly. She loved him, when it came down to it. Even when he pulled his big brother act on her and acted all high and mighty, she loved him and he loved her. "Partners in crime," as her mother used to say.   
  
"Don't worry about it, Trunks. If you want, I can find you a girlfriend… permanently. I know plenty of my friends would give their left legs to be with you. They think I'm so lucky to be your sister… however I don't want to know in what way I'm lucky." Bra shuddered, "Ugh."  
Trunks giggled and smiled a wide toothy grin, wrapped his arms around his little sister. "Who ever said you could grow up on me?" Bra stepped out of the embrace and acted as though she were surprised all the while frantically pointing at the house behind them.  
  
"It was Papa! It didn't mean to grow up! It was all Papa's fault! Please don't kill me Mr. Demi-Saiyan!" This got the two siblings rolling around on the ground laughing harder than before. Bra missed spending time with her brother like this. But ever since he'd moved out, Trunks was too busy training and working to hang out with his eccentric little sister.   
  
All of a sudden, a loud "bang!" erupted throughout the valley. Bra looked at her big brother with a smirk on her face.  
  
"I think Goten's cooking again, Trunks. He'd better be careful or he'll blow himself clear to heaven!"  
  
Trunks giggled, "Ehe. No problem. I'll just tell him to say hi to Dende-sama for me."  
  
Laughter once again filled the tiny field behind the Brief household.  



	3. Dreams Come True

The dream was always the same; the white-hot screams of agony and death rang in her ears as she watched on with silent awe. Smoking craters littered the hardened cement streets while the people ran in every which way, trying to find salvation from this immense evil.   
  
Her eyes sought this evil; searching the scorched sky as well as the barren ground on which she stood. Yet when they finally found the bright luminescence straight above, she heard that the screams didn't come from the scattering city but it came from the descending aura.  
  
"Behold the Bane Darkness," the being had always said. "I am the upholder of pain and anguish. Saiya-jin of Vegetasei, princess of the ancient race; bow before your maker."   
  
Each time this dream had recurred in her subconscious, Bra had knelt before the white light and praised it in an ancient tongue that she was normally unfamiliar with. "Nktaru pianthla akniktee, Sionay," were the words that always left her dream self's mouth. And each time she dreamt the sequence after those words were spoken, the being of white light had rewarded her with a golden sword of unknown origin. Then came consciousness.  
  
*********  
  
Blessed dawn had reached her, just as it had done the day before and the day before that and had done since the beginning of her time. Bra was glad that she was awake once again. That dream had been recurring frequently for the past few months and she was growing more and more anxious to know what its origins were.   
  
Perhaps you should ask Papa.  
  
Bra considered this for a moment and decided that it would be the most logical course of action; Papa always knew exactly what to do in situations like this anyway. She first allowed her body a quick stretch before she threw on a robe and slippers and padded slowly down the stairs to see if her father was in the kitchen.   
  
He wasn't.  
  
The gravity room! That's where he'll be!  
  
Her pace quickened as soon as she was out of the small kitchen door; she must talk to Papa before she forgot those words she'd spoken in her dream. They just had to mean something.   
  
"What were they again?" Bra said aloud to herself as she walked to the gravity room.   
  
Nktaru pianthla akniktee, Sionay, came the voice inside her head.  
  
Why are you helping me? Bra inwardly asked the voice.  
  
Because I have to, that's why. There's reason for me to be here and there's now reason for me to help you. Now find your Papa. He'll know exactly what to do.  
  
As much as she hated to admit it, the voice was right. Papa would know what to do about her dream and tell her exactly what it meant. When Bra reached the gravity room, she eagerly entered, anxious to find her father. And find him she did. Vegeta was bouncing around - well not bouncing, but you get the idea -, working up a sweat just before breakfast. A sudden spell of dizziness overcame her as she stepped into the room and before she knew it, she was on her knees whispering for her father. It took Vegeta a few seconds to realize his youngest child had walked in on him during a session.   
  
"Bra!" he cried as he ran towards his daughter, "Computer! Gravity force to normal!"   
  
Vegeta lifted his daughter into his arms and held her close to his body.   
  
She may have developed a brain aneurysm, you know.  
  
Vegeta inwardly growled at the voice that regularly tormented his mind. But it was right. Bra may very well have sealed her own fate… she was not used to such high positive G-forces in a single dose. Sure, Bra had ridden various roller coasters and thrill rides at different amusement parks but she had never come across anything like this.   
  
"Oh Kami-sama. Please, Bra, be ok. Princess…" A cough escaped her lips as she finally rose back into consciousness. And as she did, Vegeta's worried look melted away into a look of pure relief.   
  
She was ok. No brain aneurysm, no coma, and thankfully, no death. She was ok.  
  
Hugging his daughter tightly to him, he felt tears streaming down his cheeks. But he didn't care. His baby daughter was ok. And so, he allowed the tears to stream and fall down his cheeks, spilling onto his teenage daughter's robe.   
  
This isn't very Saiya-jin like, Vegeta.  
  
I don't care, Vegeta barked back at the voice, my daughter could have died. She's our one true hope for any future; you know that.  
  
Yes, I do. You must ask her if she has had any strange recurring dreams lately and if these dreams are anything like the dreams you once experienced yourself you must accelerate her training.   
  
"Papa…?" came the hesitated whisper from below.   
  
Concentration broken, Vegeta returned his attention to his shaken daughter. His muscles tensed momentarily as Bra shifted in his arms.   
  
"Papa… I'm sorry. I didn't know you'd have it on so high."   
  
A finger was placed on her full lips as Vegeta shushed her gently.  
  
"Shh, Bra, it's ok. I didn't know you'd be up so early. I should get an 'intruder-alert' system installed in here so I'll be aware that you'd be entering and the gravity level would be automatically set back to normal ranges. I…I…I was so worried I'd lost you, Bra. Don't do that again, ok? But that aside, what seems to be troubling you, daughter of mine?"  
  
(Manders-chan: a caring and kind Vegeta? Who'da thunk? ^_^)  
  
Her hand nervously ran through her long strands of blue hair as she debated whether or not she should tell her Papa. He was already worried enough about her, he didn't need to worry about a dumb dream she was having.   
  
Tell him anyway, Bra. You never know.  
  
"I had this weird dream last night; well, actually I've been having the same dream for past few months. At first I thought that it was just my subconscious telling me a story that I should write but it seems to go deeper than that."  
  
A gasp escaped Vegeta's throat as she said the word: dream. It was true! The prophecy was real!   
  
Ask her to tell you about the dream. It may have been a really weird dream but it may not have been like the ones you used to have about Sionay.  
  
His hand found her shoulder and he gently squeezed it, "What was it about? Did you see death or destruction in this dream."  
  
Bra nodded enthusiastically as her eyes brightened and widened much to her father's dismay.   
  
"Hai, Papa! How did you know?"  
  
"I know because I've had the same dreams. Was there a being of great white light?"  
  
"Hai."  
  
"And did this being give you something?"  
  
"Hai!"  
  
"What was it?"  
  
"A great golden sword. Oh Papa, if only you could have seen it! It was the single most beautiful thing that I had ever seen both in consciousness and in the dream world. Along the hilt were rubies and diamonds and gems of nature I had never seen."  
  
"Was there a dragon on this hilt as well?"  
  
Bra grinned; Papa knew what she was talking about!   
  
I told you! I told you that your Papa would know about this.   
  
"Hai Papa!"  
  
Vegeta closed his eyes; this wasn't possible. The Chosen One was prophesized just after the fall of Vegetasei… there was no way that the Saiya-jin race could be rebuilt so soon after their great fall.   
  
Well, it's about time you tell her about Sionay and the destruction of Vegetasei. And for Kami-sakes Vegeta, don't get angry at the thought of Sionay… let her decide for herself about this one.  
  
Rising to his feet, Vegeta beckoned for his daughter to do so as well. He was going to need a few hours to tell her about Sionay and her ravaged kingdom and there was no way he was doing it on an empty stomach.   
  



	4. Sionay

Breakfast was finished and now Vegeta was finding it hard to concentrate; he had to tell her somehow… but how? He could always take her to Vegetasei and show her. No, that would confuse the poor girl. She was very intelligent but she knew nothing of her past and her destiny.   
  
Destiny.  
  
That was a word he had long since forgotten.   
  
"One's destiny depends on the stars but mostly it depends on our God, Sionay," his mother said as she smoothed out Vegeta's hair away from his face.   
  
"What's my destiny, kaa-san?"  
  
"To be the best king that this planet has ever seen."  
  
"That won't be hard! I'll make you proud, kaa-san."  
  
"I know you will, my son. I know you will."  
  
The one sad thing about those last words he had said to his mother before she died was that he actually wanted to make her proud and now he was unable to. That very thought threatened to bring tears to his eyes after all these years.   
  
VEGETA! FOCUS! You have a story to tell, remember?  
  
"I suppose you can't delay the inevitable," Vegeta breathed out loud as he turned to his blue haired daughter. Bra looked up and sweetly smiled at her Papa but then frowned, cocking her head in vexation.  
  
Why is he looking at me like that? Bra asked herself silently.  
  
He has something on his mind, baka! Ask him, for Kami-sakes.  
  
"Papa, what's wrong?"  
  
A deep sigh escaped his lungs as he stepped towards his daughter and for the second time that day, he beckoned for her to follow him. And follow him she did.   
  
**********  
Father and daughter walked a good long while before Vegeta stopped and sat down on a rock near a quickening stream.   
  
"Papa?" Bra whispered reluctantly. "What are we doing here?"   
  
But no answer came for several moments; the moving fish in the stream entranced him. As they bobbed and darted this way and that way, Vegeta's eyes followed. It was soothing to watch the tiny aquatic life forms swim around and before he knew it, he was in an almost hypnotic state. If it weren't for his daughter shaking him soundly, he would have remained there for a long time, just gazing into the pool of tranquility.   
  
"PAPA! I wanna know why we walked so far and why we're here of all places. Please, Papa. Tell me." Bra's high-pitched voice was full of anxiety as she became more worried about her Papa. Maybe he'd lost his mind…  
  
"I wanted to tell you a story, princess…-"  
  
Princess? Bra thought.  
  
"-a story about Sionay: the god of Vegetasei."  
  
*******  
  
A young prince lay in his silken sheets, twisting and turning, dreaming dreams he never thought possible. So much had happened to him in the past few weeks and now that he was letting it all sink in, his dreams had become more frantic and frightened. The boy was still young but he had already been commanding the royal army under the protective wing of his mother and father. They insisted that it would prepare him for the times to come when one day they would not return from battle. Inevitably, his mother hadn't returned from the glorious battle in which they had won. The saiyan warriors had taken many casualties during those days of hardship. Most of their best warriors had fallen to the technology that this species had possessed. How could they have known that one press of a button would result in the slaughtering of thousands?   
  
The prince moved again and something beside him compensated for the sudden movement. His arm short arm reached out and wrapped itself around the second figure, hugging it close to him. That same figure turned towards the window that illuminated Vegetasei's moonlight.   
  
At first, its face was not visible, as the moonlight slipped from the window for a short amount of time. But then, after several minutes, a young girl's face was visible in the faint light. Small breaths escaped her mouth as she slept next to the prince, completely content and utterly at peace with herself. She was young, the same age as the prince, but she looked much older. On closer inspection of the way the sleeping pair was positioned, one might have thought them to be young lovers. It was neither uncommon nor unheard of in those days. Yet the prince and the girl bore a striking resemblance to one another. Indeed, they had to be brother and sister for no two non-related people looked so alike. Beneath the comforter in which the two slept, the girl's tail twitched nervously. She too slept uneasily. But why would two young children be dreaming so feverishly? The reason was unknown.  
  
Dawn approached and the kingdom of Vegetasei awoke to greet the day. Prince Vegeta and his sister, however, were reluctant to leave the sanctity of the quilt that nurtured their sleepy bodies. Before long, a resounding knock woke the two and, unfortunately, it was time to begin the day. The girl moaned sleepily before turning over and attempting to dream once more. A hard shake awakened her permanently.  
  
"Yliah," came the voice of her brother, "come on. Otou-san will be furious if we don't get training."  
  
Growling softly, Yliah threw off the beddings, revealing a soft lavender nightgown. Daintily and carefully, she smoothed her long black hair away from her face and sighed heavily.  
  
"I miss kaa-san," she said mournfully.  
  
An amusingly childish growl escaped Vegeta's throat as he turned away from her disgusted. He too missed his mother but grieving was not an option at this point in time.  
  
"Just get moving," Vegeta barked.  
  
Yliah cleared her throat haughtily before turning on her heel and departing her brother's chambers. Oh brother, she thought to herself, your bark is worse than your bite. Much worse.  
  
His eyes caught sight of the sun as it rose to warm the planet and the kingdom, his kingdom.   
  
"Another day another battle," said the young Vegeta. "Hopefully this one will go better than the last. I just hope otou-san will let me go along with him this time, instead of worrying that I'd end up like kaa-san."  
  
His mother had died less than a week ago in a battle against the same race that had killed so many of Vegetasei's fine warriors. Obviously, they had underestimated their power and had made a grave mistake in the process. This, however, was a mistake that would take decades to recover from. Not only had this race taken the life of Vegetasei's queen but also it had taken the lives of his father's closest friends and best warriors. But Vegeta didn't blame the enemy for defending themselves. No. He had another being that he blamed for the death of his mother.   
  
There was a god that Vegetasei believed in but did not worship. A saiyan did not worship. Sionay, the saiyan god of war, was only called upon during battle. Warriors prayed that they would fight virtuously and die honorably. They prayed to Sionay bless their families when and if they did die and most of all, the warriors prayed that the battle would be glorious and that the enemy would fall. He himself often prayed to Sionay to bring his mother and father back to Vegetasei safe and sound. But one day, his mother didn't return… and instead of blaming it on the enemy, he blamed it on his God: Sionay.   
  
"I can't believe that you let her die! She was everything to me! One of the only women, besides my twin, that I actually cared about! How could you betray the Royal Family, Sionay?! How could you?!" Vegeta had screamed in his room, as he stared at the speckled ceiling, hoping for a sign that Sionay had heard him. Unfortunately, Sionay had heard him and he decided he would "reward" Vegeta's screams with disturbing dreams that would repeat unremittingly for the next few months. In these dreams that Vegeta had, there was a great cataclysm that sent his people running for salvation from the fireballs and other rudiments of mass destruction. In the midst of it all, Sionay glittered and glowed iridescently above, laughing maniacally. And when Prince Vegeta stood up to him and told him off in the ancient Saiyan language, he was compensated with a nice, cold, and swift death.  
  
His deep brown eyes searched his bedroom for some origin of Sionay. Perhaps he had planted something in his bedroom that made him dream all these bad things that he'd been dreaming lately. Well, he hadn't actually been dreaming them lately. He'd actually been dreaming these things for a while. Prince Vegeta was beginning to wonder if this was normal for a Prince to have these dreams of his God. But every time that he was going to ask his father if these dreams were normal, he'd become reluctant and then forget to ask.   
  
But Prince Vegeta figured that he'd better get into his training gi before King Vegeta would make training ten times harder, making things ten times worse.   
  
********  
  
When finally Vegeta arrived in the gravity room, directly adjacent to his throne room, he found his sister, Yliah, already training. Oh how she reminded him of their mother. Just in the way she moved was pure poetry in motion. Yliah's flips were smooth and precise, much like his own. Considering that they were twins, it was no wonder why they shared even the way that they moved.   
  
Suddenly and out of nowhere, several attack bots revealed themselves from the walls and began attacking Yliah. Under different circumstances, Vegeta would have gladly made his way over to the center and begin to force these bots into non-existence. However, this morning was different and Vegeta felt compelled to let his sister deal with the bots in her own discreet manner. Vegeta watched in awe as she delivered blow after devastating blow to the bots, disabling them one by one. Unluckily for Yliah, three more bots came through the openings in the wall. One flew directly at her, forcing her to cower on the ground.   
  
Still, Vegeta didn't move.   
  
A small smile crept across Yliah's face as the bots came flying at her again and again. And every time that they did, Yliah would duck or flip over them, landing softly on her feet. Finally, after dancing around for a little under ten minutes, Yliah began to pick off the bots with agonizing speed and agility, not to mention sheer aggressive strength. Her eyes glittered in utter amusement as the bots fell to her feet, disabled and beyond repair. When she was finished, Yliah walked - almost strutted - over to Vegeta, grinning the entire way.   
  
"What did you think, brother? Did I do well?"  
  
Vegeta half-smirked, "You did well. But not in the way that otou-san would have liked. Playing with the bots like that could have been hurtful to your well-being. Sure, it looked interesting from a spectator's point of view, but it could have been deadly to you. Next time, finish them off quicker."  
  
Yliah placed her hands defiantly on her hips and glowered at her twin, "I figured that instead of killing them quickly, I could wear them down as if they were animate, and then kill them. Killing isn't everything, Vegeta. Kaa-san taught you better than that."  
  
The smirk on Vegeta's face disappeared and he glowered back, "Yliah… you know better than to talk about kaa-san at this time. Otou-san wishes not to hear about her for he misses her as well and with everything that has been happening lately, he wishes not to think about her. You know that."  
  
"But it's just us, Vegeta. Otou-san is not here. He cannot tell us when to grieve and when not to grieve… as much as he'd like to. Quit acting like he owns you."  
  
His hand reached across and grabbed her shoulder aggressively and said, "He does own us, Yliah! He is our father and he is our king, thus he is our owner until he dies and I take over the kingdom."  
  
Waving her hand aside, seemingly brushing Vegeta aside, Yliah sighed heavily, "Say what you will, my brother, but he will never completely own you and I. We are far too strong-willed to be owned by anyone, including our father. But enough of that… shall we train?"  
  
With his famous half-smirk, Vegeta nodded and the training session began between the twins.  
  
**********  
  
That night, as Vegeta crawled into his bed next to his sister, he moaned, hoping that the dreams would not return tonight. Yliah sensed her brother's discontent and placed a loving hand around him, bringing him closer to her. As far as saiyans go, Yliah was perhaps the most affectionate, caring, and sensitive in the kingdom. And Vegeta blessed himself for having such a sister by his side everyday of his life for as long as he'd been alive. She seemed to be his only savior from his anger and violence. It wasn't to say that Yliah didn't have her outbursts of anger - because Kami knows that she did - it's just to say that she knew how to shut up and just be nice to him once and a while. Oh how he loved that in her.   
  
Yliah smiled and snuggled in closer, attempting to allay her brother's fears. She knew what he was frightened of… she knew all too well. Sionay had invaded her unconscious as well and she knew the destruction and destitution that underwent in those dreams. Wrapping her soft tail around her brother's leg, she asked him, "Vegeta, do you fear the unconscious?"  
  
She felt his heartbeat quicken.  
  
"I can feel your fear," Yliah whispered, staring blankly at the ceiling. "Let me take away your fear for one eve. Let me take what you're frightened of and place it into me."  
  
Yliah placed a hand over Vegeta's forehead and forced his eyelids closed; this was the first time that she had actually revealed her telepathic nature to anyone. She had first discovered her telepathic powers when she was little over an eighth of a moon cycle old. Her father had sent her to command her first army and when she was that old… when she had approached the planet that she was to go to war with, she sensed things. She sensed things that she never had sensed before. Yliah heard the desperate screams of an already dying race.  
  
That day was her first taste at telepathy.   
  
She had learned to develop her powers through many days of peering into the various minds of the saiyans: listening to their desires, examining their fears, and understanding their thoughts. And now, several partial moon cycles later, she had intensely heightened telepathic abilities. Tonight she was determined to dispel her brother's fears so that they could sleep peacefully until the morning came again.  
  
All at once, her twin's thoughts began to overthrow her own. His fears of a tortured city filled her mind and her head began to swim in his thoughts of their mother and their God: Sionay. Sionay's visage was etched in her mind thanks to her brother's thoughts. Why did he feel so strongly about their God? What was frightening him so?  
  
Vegeta's breath became softer and deeper as he fell into a deep sleep… a deep dreamless sleep. Tonight he would rest easier knowing that Sionay would not storm his unconscious.   



	5. Prelude to Demise

Swarms of people ran this way and that, seeking an escape from the fireballs that had been cast down from the heavens above. Yliah stood in quiet awe in the background, surveying the scene and wondering why everything was in such destitution when just yesterday the people of Vegetasei had been relatively safe and happy.   
  
Then she saw it.  
  
At first it descended slowly, as if trying to make sure that the coast was clear, and then, when it had broken the soft gray clouds of musky smoke, Yliah saw it clearer. This thing, this being of great light, was a glorious thing to behold. Under different circumstances, Yliah would have been honored to have finally met her God and Almighty Father but under these conditions, well, Yliah was suspicious.  
  
"Yliah."  
  
Tilting her head up to face the entity that had descended from above, Yliah's breath was forced from her lungs as she beheld the great idol of light. Almost on instinct, she bent down on one knee and bowed before her God.  
  
"My lord from above, what is that you wish of me?"  
  
A pause filled the air as it finally ceased its descent.   
  
"This is Prince Vegeta's dream that you are dreaming. Did you know that?"  
  
Yliah nodded and quietly answered, "Yes, my lord. This I am aware of."  
  
The great light made its way over to where Yliah stood, only stopping inches from her dainty body.   
  
"Princess Yliah, the royal family has defied me for the last time and this is the final outrage. You shall be the first to feel my wrath as the Almighty God of Vegetasei."  
  
As soon as the last words escaped the great deity, he sent a last fireball soaring towards Yliah, the Princess of Vegetasei. She didn't have time to move far enough out of the way of this immensely huge fireball and in turn, she was struck down where she stood, never to regain consciousness in the realm of the living ever again.  
  
*********  
  
Shining rays of light made their way through the curtains covering the window in Prince Vegeta's bedchamber. A heavy sigh escaped his lungs as he turned to face the window and greet the blessed morning. He fully intended to train all day and be out on the battlefield by tomorrow morning. After all, what kind of Prince would he be if he didn't participate in the battles of Vegetasei?  
  
Stretching profoundly, he turned once more, but this time it was to face his sister. As he turned he called her name once and when she didn't respond, Vegeta wondered what was wrong. Yliah was a very light sleeper and never slept longer than he. But when his eyes laid upon the sight that once was his twin sister, a very unsaiyan-like scream made its way from his mouth, seemingly shattering glass in its wake. At that, Vegeta lost unconsciousness.  
  
*********  
  
When he awoke for the second time that day, he madly searched for his beloved sister, hoping that what he saw was just part of one of his sick and twisted dreams. But much to his dismay, it wasn't.   
  
Although he was no longer in his bedchambers, he could still smell the musky scent of death. Normally, that didn't bother him for he had seen much death and insolvency in his time on Vegetasei but… that was his sister. That was his twin soul and kindred spirit. That was the only girl he had truly loved. And now, that had been taken away from him. How could this have happened twice? How? Vegeta was at a loss of both words and emotion.   
  
A soft knock came at the door to the chamber in which he lay, thinking of his mother and sister.   
  
"Come in!" he barked, turning away from the door, so that whoever was there would not have to see his pain and despair.   
  
"Son, turn to me so that I may look at you," came the voice of his father, King Vegeta.   
  
Vegeta, being a good son and an even better Prince, turned to meet his father's eyes, which were softer than he had ever seen them. He had known King Vegeta to be a cold man, with little emotion for his family. But today… today was different. King Vegeta's eyes were not cold or disapproving. In fact, his eyes were kinder and actually, they held tears.   
  
Vegeta suddenly didn't feel so bitter or alone.  
  
King Vegeta, regal and majestic, walked over to his son and placed his arms tightly around him, hugging him so tightly that Vegeta could barely breathe. But Vegeta didn't care. This was a rare moment for father and son and Vegeta wasn't about to let it go so easily. He placed his own arms around his father and hugged him just as tightly.   
  
And then the tears came.  
  
There had been two great losses to the both of them in a little more than a month; Vegeta was sure that he could take no more of them. How in the world would he survive without his sister at his side?   
  
Her charred visage was etched into his mind and he was afraid that that would be the only way that he would remember her.   
  
"Son."  
  
King Vegeta's words brought Vegeta back to reality.  
  
"Son, I know you and I have suffered a great loss today and I apologize that I was never this kind to you when your mother died a month ago. The truth was that I didn't want you seeing me the way I was. I'm a broken man without your mother. She was everything to me. And now to lose your sister, well, that's the last thing that I can bear. You must understand this, Vegeta."  
  
Vegeta nodded and clung to his father's robes, burying his face into it, sniffling horribly.   
  
"Father," Vegeta said, pulling his face away from his father. "I know who did this to Yliah."  
  
"Well speak, boy."  
  
He swallowed hard and proceeded to tell his father everything about Sionay, his dreams, and about Yliah's telepathy. When he had finished, his father sat there in sheer trepidation.   
  
"Why didn't you tell me before, Vegeta?"  
  
Vegeta lowered his gaze, "Because I was scared to, otou-san."  
  
"Scared to tell me something this important?"  
  
The Prince's deep brown eyes lit up momentarily with fear as his father spoke.  
  
"Im-important, otou-san? I thought they were just dreams."  
  
A light cuff connected with the side of Vegeta's head as the softness in his father's eyes suddenly was replaced with an icy fire. But this fire wasn't a furious fire; it was a frightened fire. There was something that King Vegeta wasn't telling his son. This was something he had known since he was a child. Then, it was only a joke to him.  
  
Things were different now. After all, he had grown up and taken his father's place as the rightful ruler of Vegetasei. However, King Vegeta decided it was time for his son, the prince, to learn about the prophecy of the Saiyan race.  
  
"Vegeta, listen to me and listen well. A long time ago, when your grandfather was King and I was Prince, a prophet - a mad prophet at that - came storming into the throne room on blustery evening bearing a prophecy. My father wasn't pleased at this so-called prophet barging in unannounced. But my mother - bless her soul - convinced him that the prophet should be allowed to speak. The man spoke of the Saiyan apocalypse, in which a temporal vortex would be opened permanently and our very God, Sionay, would destroy us. And the only way that we would know of the vortex before it cam was if the Prince or Princess had prophetic dreams, as you have had. He also spoke of a Chosen One that would come many years later and would defeat Sionay, paving the way for the Saiyans once more. So you see, my Prince, you are what the prophet spoke of. And with your sister's death, the vortex is sure to be opening soon. But you, you must live on. You must provide this Chosen One so that the Saiyans can thrive once more. Tonight, you much pack up your things and I will put you into a pod. This pod will be set on a course for a very beautiful, class M planet called Earth. You are to live there, mate, and provide this Chosen One. Do you understand your duty, Vegeta?"  
  
Swallowing hard, Vegeta nodded with tears welling up in his eyes.   
  
"What will happen to you, otou-san?" Vegeta asked meekly.  
  
"I will perish with the rest of the race. You know that I cannot leave. On a lighter note, I will send one other young Saiyan with you, to keep you company on Earth. His name is Son-Goku-Kakarotto. Although he is third class, he shows much potential and is loyal to the crown. Now go pack. You leave when the sun sets."  
  
"Have I no say in this?" Vegeta asked, surprised at his own temerity.  
  
"No!" King Vegeta barked. "Go!"  
  
*********  
  
Finally, as the sun set, Vegeta made his way to the pod where he was to spend the next two days with a third class stranger, eating nothing but Saiyan chocolate and drinking nothing but Saiyan mineral water. Adventures normally made his excited but this one made him feel nauseated. After all, he may never see Vegetasei or his father again.  
  
Then, over the hill, Vegeta saw the boy he was to travel with. He was not a very handsome boy, but he seemed nice enough at first glance. Over the boy's left shoulder was a light pack of cloth, probably containing his food and clothing. A stupid grin was plastered on his face as he made his way over to the Prince.  
  
Vegeta, however, looked as hateful as ever. He did not want to flee and leave his people to die like this and especially didn't want to be stuck in a pod with this grinning idiot.  
  
"Hello, my Prince. I am Son-Goku-Kakarotto and I am honored to meet you personally," said the young Saiyan as he finally stopped in front of Prince Vegeta, still grinning.  
  
Vegeta haughtily turned away, "Yes, I know who you are. I want you to get one thing straight before we leave, Kakarotto. I will not put up with a third class nothing thinking that he's all that. And furthermore, I hope you brought food 'cause I'm not sharing my chocolate."  
  
Goku bowed and said, "Yes, your highness."  
  
The two stood there for a moment, just looking at each other. Finally, Vegeta sighed, "Look, you can call me Vegeta. If we're going to be companions, we may as well be a little friendly."  
  
Vegeta paused momentarily.  
  
"C'n I call you Kakarot?"  
  
The boy nodded, still grinning. Then he asked Vegeta, "C'n I call you 'Geta?"  
  
Vegeta cringed at first but eventually allowed himself to smile, "Yup."  
  
"C'n I have some chocolate?"  
  
"Let's not get carried away."  



	6. A Queen's Resurrection

"So you see, I never got to see my planet being cleansed thanks to my father's quick thinking. The rest of the saiyan race was killed off because of my incompetence and fear. I'm glad that you came to me about these dreams because now, I know the prophecy was the real thing. For years I had forgotten about it… just trying to forget my twin's memory. And now, everything has come flying back at you and I, Bra. You do know what this means don't you?"  
  
Bra paused and swallowed hard; steadying herself on the rock she was perched on, "Yes Papa. I do know what this means. I am the Chosen One, aren't I?"  
  
Vegeta nodded but a smile would not grace his royal face for a long time to come. Gesturing to Bra that it was time to leave, he secretly hoped that he was wrong about everything.   
  
*********  
  
Bulma paced nervously back and forth across her small-enclosed office, waiting for the phone to ring with some news. It had been several hours since she had last seen her husband and daughter and now she was becoming aggravated with anxiety.   
  
Where could they be? And in the name of Kami-sama why didn't they call?  
The rusty hinges on her door creaked open, revealing a flustered and sweating Trunks. He wiped his brow with the back of his left hand and entered the office to plop down on the first available chair, letting out an exasperated sigh in the process.   
  
"Did you find them?" Bulma eagerly inquired.  
  
Trunks shook his head before leaning back in his chair and putting his feet on the stack of papers next to the chair he was sitting on.   
  
"I don't know where they are kaa-san. I looked everywhere for them… well, almost everywhere. Actually, only everywhere that I thought they would be and I found nothing. Not even a hair off of otou-san's head."  
  
Bulma let out an incensed sigh and slammed an angry fist down on her desk before letting her tears slide gradually down her cheeks. Perhaps they had left a note or something to that degree on the kitchen table.  
  
Or maybe they've just disappeared.  
  
"Not again. Please, Dende, not again," Bulma whispered as she laid her head down on her desk, weeping openly. Frankly, she didn't care if Trunks saw her like this. He'd seen her in worse situations than this; she didn't think it bothered him.  
  
She was wrong.  
  
Trunks' heart broke every time that Bulma cried (even if it was rare), even though he never said anything and basically kept a straight face. But inside, he died. Over and over again until his mother stopped crying and went back to her normal bubbly self. He wished that he could do more to help the situation but…  
  
A knock came at the oxidized steel door to Bulma's office-room.   
  
"Answer it," Bulma said, not looking up.  
  
And Trunks did. Much to his surprise, a gorgeous woman with long, sleek black hair and black piercing eyes was standing directly in front of him. She wasn't tall but man, did she look like his father, Vegeta. She had his eyes, his dark and brooding eyes, complete with the various flecks of blue, green, and brown in them. Trunks took a step back to let the woman into the room, too stunned to ask her what her name was. As the clicking of her high-heeled boots became more and more irritating to Bulma, she looked up, eager to yell at someone or something but her words died in her throat.   
  
This woman was positively breathtaking to her. She noticed her mate's features - his eyes and hair - in her but didn't quite put two and two together. Bulma swallowed hard as Trunks offered her his seat and then quietly stepped back to gaze at her from the door.   
  
"Who are you?" Bulma managed to squeak from her dry throat.  
  
The woman turned to face Bulma with a sad smile on her face. Her eyes were so full of life and compassion that Bulma found it irresistible not to look into them. They seemed to have her captured or entranced.  
  
"I am Yliah. The queen of Vegetasei," the woman said finally.  
  
Bulma snapped out of her trance and frowned. "That's impossible, I am the Queen of Vegetasei. My husband is King," she said, scrutinizing the woman's features still.  
  
The woman let out a small laugh and stood up from her chair, walking directly over to where Bulma was sitting with a confused look on her face. Trunks watched as she sashayed over, swinging her full hips the entire way.   
  
Good Dende she's striking. After she's done here, I'm SO asking her out.  
  
Yliah stopped in front of a perplexed Bulma and daintily put her elbows on the table so that the two women were face to face. A diminutive smile crept across her face as she looked into Bulma's turquoise eyes.  
  
Vegeta's mate, no doubt, she mused. He has good taste. And what wonderfully delicious children she bore, thought she, stealing a glance at Trunks, who looked away, blushing madly.   
  
Very delicious indeed… but where is he?  
  
"You say you're the Queen? How is that?" Bulma snapped, breaking Yliah out of her trance-like state.  
  
"Hmm? What's that?" Yliah said, thought bubble broken.   
  
"How are you the Queen?"  
  
"I am the Queen by biological right but it appears that my title has been revoked, as you are Queen by mate," Yliah explained, her eyes roaming back to Trunks momentarily.  
  
"You're meaning to tell me that you're Vegeta's sister?"  
  
"Twin sister, actually."  
  
With those words stuck firmly in her mind, Bulma fainted with Yliah making a tsk-ing noise and a smile playing slightly across her lips.  
  
***********  
  
Capsule Corps looked dead. The lights were off and there was scarcely anyone there, making the building seem abandoned and eerily empty. Frankly, it gave Bra the creeps.   
  
"I wonder where Mama is," she said aloud, wondering if her father was even paying the slightest bit of attention to her or to the situation.   
  
I hope she's ok 'cause we were gone for an awfully long time, Bra mused inwardly. But it's not like Mama and Trunks to work this late. Maybe something terrible happened to them… maybe because they thought we ran away they went to look for us and they never came home! What if…?  
  
It took only moments for Bra to get lost in her thoughts but for Vegeta…   
  
That baka woman. I can't believe she left. Damn Trunks couldn't look after his own damn mother for one damn day. When I find her I'm gonna… I'm gonna…  
  
You're gonna what? Scold her? You're the one who left remember?  
  
That irritating voice came popping up and giving its own two cents. Man, Vegeta hated that voice. Sounded like his woman.  
  
You're damn rights I'm gonna scold her. Probably going to throw her around the room a bit too, Vegeta retorted.  
  
Yeah right. The first time you see her, you're going to wrap your arms around her and give her a great big kiss… ya big kitten.  
  
Vegeta growled, wondering why he even bothered thinking.   
  
"Bah. Thinking's overrated," he said, glancing over his shoulder to look at his bemused daughter who obviously was deep in thought. Vegeta began to question why he took Bra away to tell her a stupid story when he probably could have done it right here in New Hope. But no… it had to be done in a forest by a stream. Although Vegeta had no idea why he chose there of all places to tell Bra about Sionay, he figured he had his reasons.   
  
KABLAM!  
  
An immense explosion rocked the silence of the sleepy city, shaking Bra and Vegeta back to reality.   
  
"What in Kami's name was that?" Bra exclaimed, holding her hands to ears in a vain attempt to muffle the sound that was coming from… inside Capsule Corps?  
  
********  
  
Bulma came to her senses quite quickly, considering she'd been thrown half-way across her office and into the cement wall adjacent to her door. The fire that started from her desk had spread to her bookshelves and was continuing to eat its way through her books and papers, gaining energy, gaining fuel. But it wasn't the fire that fightened Bulma.   
  
It was Yliah. The woman that claimed to be Vegeta's twin. Did she have something to do with this? After all, Vegeta was once a ruthless warrior; couldn't his sister be one as well?   
  
Coughing and sputtering up blood, Bulma crawled weakly to the door and pushed it open. Outside in the hallway was even worse than inside her office. The smell of burning chemicals and burning toxins made her insides writhe in torture.  
  
I can't stay here much longer. I'll die from inhalation of all these fumes and volitle chemicals.   
  
So she crawled through doors and hallways, concentrating on staying conscious while she attempted to make it outside. The last she saw of Trunks was when he rushed out of the office. He'd heard Yliah scream; she swore it was a trick. But Trunks wouldn't have it. He followed her out there anyway and by Kami, look what happened.   
  
But Trunks was a big boy now; he could look after himself. Bulma just hoped her son was alright and not in the clutches of something evil; or worse... in the clutches of that so-called "sister" of Vegeta's. Several more coughs of blood sent her lying on the floor for a few seconds while she caught her breath. Something was punctured internally; she had to get help.   
  
As she crawled through the last hallway that lead out to New Hope City, she felt a strong grip on her left leg. Someone or something was holding her back. Bulma twisted and kicked but the grip only tightened, making her cry out with pain.Then, all of a sudden, the pain was gone and she was free. She didn't know what made her look up, but when she did, Vegeta was standing in front of her, scowling at whatever had taken its hold on her.   
  
"Get out of here, woman," Vegeta calmly ordered. "This is no place for a human."  
  
Knowing better, Bulma agreed and ran out the front doors.   
  
**************  
  
"Hello Vegeta."  
  
Vegeta didn't respond at first. Inside, he was thinking that maybe he was staring at a ghost; at a long forgotten memory that he had repressed deep inside. Another part of him was telling him that this wasn't a ghost and that she had attempted to kill his mate.   
  
"What are you doing here?" he demanded.   
  
Yliah tossed her long black hair behind her shoulder and smiled sweetly... if sweetly was the right word for it. Her body had changed but her face; her face remained as soft and lively as it had ever been. It looked as though she had never been hurt by anything. Looked as though nothing had touched her and killed her so many years ago. But her smile was different. It wasn't sweet and coy anymore; it was somehow demented and evil. Yet how could something so wonderful be so evil at the same time?  
  
"I'm here to kill your daughter," she simply said with a simpleness that sent chills through Vegeta's saiyan spine.   
  
"Yliah... how..?"  
  
A maniacal laugh escaped her and she sashayed to where her twin brother stood, placing her hand on his shoulder. It had been years since she had had the chance to use her telepathy; she'd only been able to sense what her God had been thinking. But Vegeta's thoughts were louder than anything she had encountered in her journeys through the worlds.   
  
His eyes closed and his body stiffened as Yliah entered into his mind. She was searching through his anger, his passion, and his pride, for something that he loved beyond all the confines of his cold saiyan heart. There were doors and windows in his mind. Yliah laughed as she threw them all open; he was such a simple warrior. Living with humans had softened him more than he realized. However, there was one door that was locked; one that just wouldn't budge.   
  
Yliah had found it.   
  
Now it was only a matter of opening the door and revealing what he did not want to reveal. It amused her to break his mind; to finally overthrow the great Vegeta from the pedestal that he'd thought himself to be on. Finally, she could prove herself to her twin brother without being afraid of how it would affect him. She could simply kill him, if she wanted to. But somehow that wouldn't be as satisfying as forcing him to watch his daughter die.   
  
The door was stubborn. Yliah pried with her hands and attempted to throw a controlled ball of ki into it. It just wouldn't work. Finally, the door flew open on its own, revealing a two people. She assumed that the young blue-haired girl was his daughter and the other one was...  
  
A younger version of her?  
  
Yliah gasped. He still loved her after all these years of being gone in his life? Either he was a true loving brother... or his mind was playing tricks on her. Defeated, she left. There was nothing there that wasn't already known to her; nothing that could help her in the long run. Frustrated and beaten, she threw a concentrated ball of ki against Vegeta's chest, sending him flying uncontrollably through the air.  
  
He hit the wall with a sickening crunch; a trickle of blood ran helplessly down the hardened forehead. He remained unconscious while Yliah slipped out into the night, unaware of the young purple haired man that eyed her from the shadows. 


End file.
